Blog #7 - Personal Space

The chart to the left shows the average American's desired amount of personal space for different social situations (1 foot = 0.3048 meters).  Americans sometimes have trouble traveling in Europe, Asia, and the Middle-East, because in those countries, the idea of personal space is different.  For example, Koreans may not need as much personal space as Americans do.  Why would there be a different notion of personal space across cultures?  Can you think of anything that explains these differences between cultures?  Why do Americans require more personal space than Koreans?  Why do Koreans require less personal space than Americans?  What are your own personal space needs?